When you think of writing a book, you think that marketing is the worse part of the process, right? Well for many it can be and even for me it can be a pain in the butt. However, it doesn't have to be such a bad experience. In fact, it can be a very fun and can lift up your spirits if you are feeling like you'll be having a few down days. I've been in the author trade for less than a year, so I keep researching new innovative ways to improve my craft and brand. I have done much research in finding what other authors are doing and what they aren't doing believe it or not.

 

For me, it's all about building your brand. I understand that some authors have day jobs and others just do it as a hobby. You know what if that's you, that's cool, more power to you I bow down to you because if you are cool with writing as a hobby you must be doing something right. Now for those like me who want to be respected and take your writing to the next level or if you're a published author (Vanity Presses do not count) then you'll need to more, a whole lot more! While Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn are all a must to have and if you do have all of them it's a start. However, there is one that I notice isn't being used as much and I feel you would stand a better chance to bring your "brand" out there to your audience. Believe it or not, it's the one that you use everyday, YouTube. That's right the same media site you use to see dogs playing around or the latest viral videos. Instead of wasting your time viewing other videos, you could be in the video for the world to see what cool stuff you bring to the table! Now I'm not a bestseller, but I know with a little hard work and persistence you can make YouTube work for you and gain a new audience that you might not have even thought of aiming for.

 

While it's ok to be serious about your craft, but being too serious and having no personality is boring. The last thing you want to be associated with is being boring, not cool trust me on that one. Would you want to hang out with a friend who's too boring? I didn't think so. Listen I'm not saying be like me, I'm funny because that's what comes naturally to me. You might be better in giving serious advice to others, telling scary stories or even better a hybrid of the different personalities. The important thing is to find your niche and make sure when you're doing YouTube videos that you act like yourself. After all being authentic sells more than being a wannabe.